Hunters, how would you describe your music to those uniformed readers of Mane Shakin' Folk?
Isabel: It's like dancing on fire.
Derek: Hands on Fire.
How did you guys meet? And why did you decide to make music?
How did you guys meet? And why did you decide to make music?
Derek: A common friend wanted to introduce us, she had told us about each other for a while.
Isabel: It was really weird because it felt like we had known each other forever.
Derek: And we found out that we lived around the corner from each other in California and Brooklyn.
Isabel: But we bonded because we both had Mike Shank on our ipods.
I hear a early 90s, Sonic Youth-kinda semblance in your songs. From where do you actually draw your influences?
Derek: Yeah maybe because we don't use standard tuning. But the big secret is that if you play any 4 songs from Bleach, Bricks Are Heavy, My World 2.0, and Pottymouth backwards at the same time you get a Hunters song.
Isabel: You just have to link them up perfectly at 45rpm.
Derek: At midnight.
Nick Zinner mixed your recent eponymous EP. How did that come about?
Derek: Nick Zinner mixed our record?
Isabel: No way?!
Derek: We should thank him!
What's the creative process behind songs like 'Deadbeat'?
What's the creative process behind songs like 'Deadbeat'?
Derek: Our drummer Odell had been playing the beat to that song at the beginning of every practice. After a while I just wrote a song around it to get him to stop.
Isabel: That's totally not true. You and I were watching Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments and you said you wanted to write an updated score for it.
Derek: I cant believe you remembered that.
I like the artwork. Are you particularly fond of triangles?
I like the artwork. Are you particularly fond of triangles?
Isabel: Yes
I can imagine there being a pretty riotous Hunters live show - am I right? Are there any shows which particularly come to mind?
Isabel: We recently had been driving for a day or two in a van without stopping except for quick rest stop breaks. When we arrived at the venue we had to play within a half hour. It was kinda culture shock, but I think all our pent up energy made the show really awesome. The only bad thing was I destroyed my guitar so we had to find a cheap replacement before the next show that same day.
Derek: We played a new years show where this kid decided it was a great idea to try to dance on stage and wound up hitting me in the face with a champagne bottle by mistake.
Isabel: Maybe it wasnt a mistake.
Derek: Ha, you're probably right.
What are Hunters' plans for 2011?
Both: To play as many shows as possible!
Finally, are there any particular records/artists/labels/etc you love at the moment?
Finally, are there any particular records/artists/labels/etc you love at the moment?
Both: Oh yeah tons. Zulus, Soft Circle, Pissed Jeans, Nu Sansae, Yvette, Ty Segall, that record Population II by Randy Holden is amazing, and Swill Children the label Jesse Hlebo runs is rad!
You can name your price for Hunters' sublime eponymous EP here:
You can name your price for Hunters' sublime eponymous EP here:
